The New American Standard Bible A Study of Translations

NASB The most recent edition of the NASB text was published in 1995, with the original having been published in 1971. The New Testament alone was previously published in 1963.

NASB Gospel of John (1960) The Gospels (1962) New Testament (1963) Psalms (1968) Complete Bible, OT & NT (1971) Modified Editions (1972, 1973, 1975, 1977) Updated Edition (1995)

NASB One of the most literally translated of 20th-century English Bible translations.

NASB "Fourfold Aim" in this work: These publications shall be true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. They shall be grammatically correct. They shall be understandable.

NASB "Fourfold Aim" in this work: They shall give the Lord Jesus Christ His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him; therefore, no work will ever be personalized.

NASB As its name implies, the NASB is a revision of the American Standard Version of 1901. This translation was begun as an alternative to the Revised Standard Version (1946-1952/1971), itself a revision of the ASV, but considered by many to be theologically liberal.

NASB The Hebrew text used was the third edition of Rudolf Kittel's Biblia Hebraica, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia was consulted for the 1995 revision.

NASB For Greek, Eberhard Nestle's Novum Testamentum Graece was used The 23rd edition in the 1971 original The 26th in the 1995 revision.

NASB The greatest perceived strength is its reliability and fidelity to the original languages without theological interpretation.

Strengths of the NASB The translators worked for ten years before they felt this translation of the original Greek and Hebrew was ready for publication.

Strengths of the NASB These scholars, among whom were members of the churches of Christ, have been called extremely conservative theologically. It was their expressed goal to "give the Lord Jesus His proper place, the place which the Word gives Him."

Strengths of the NASB Extremely literal in its rendering of the Greek and Hebrew. Some claim it is "unequaled in its faithfulness to the Greek and Hebrew texts." Others have labeled this tendency "severely literalistic" (Bruce M. Metzger, Theology Today, April, 1976).

Strengths of the NASB Extremely literal in its rendering of the Greek and Hebrew. The NASB translators write, "Words are faithfully rendered in the NASB even to conjunctions such as 'and' in the belief that these, too, helped mirror the writer's style and manner of expression.

"The NASB renders the Greek verb tenses the most accurately of any modern translation!" "at its very center and heart, true to the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts." Warren Wilcox

Strengths of the NASB It has made an effort to place God's Word in easy-to-read, modern American English. "it has failed to attain current English style and vocabulary in many instances.”

Strengths of the NASB It has made an effort to place God's Word in easy-to-read, modern American English. “Its language is not contemporary and its English is not idiomatic" (Dr. Jack P. Lewis).

Strengths of the NASB "It is a dignified translation; it is not colloquial; it does not use slang words; it does not use things that you would be ashamed or embarrassed to use in a worship service or devotional reading" (Warren Wilcox, Versions of the Bible: Their Strengths and Weaknesses).

Strengths of the NASB It has made extensive use of all the Greek and Hebrew manuscripts available. It has also made full use of all recent archaeological discoveries, including the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Weaknesses of the NASB Some feel that the NASB reflects a premillennial preference in some passages. Isaiah 2:2 and Micah 4:1

Isaiah 2:2 “Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.”

Isaiah 2:2 “Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.”

Micah 4:1 “And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the Lord Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it.”

Weaknesses of the NASB Some feel that the NASB reflects a premillennial preference in some passages. The word "genea" appears, the NASB will often place in a footnote an alternate meaning of "race." Mark 13:30

Mark 13:30 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

Weaknesses of the NASB The NASB has fallen into the trap of seeking to interpret, rather than translate 1 Corinthians 7:36-38

1 Corinthians 7:36-38 “But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she is past her youth, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry. [37] But he who stands firm in his heart, being under no constraint, but has authority over his own will, and has decided this in his own heart, to keep his own virgin daughter, he will do well. …”

1 Corinthians 7:36-38 “…[38] So then both he who gives his own virgin daughter in marriage does well, and he who does not give her in marriage will do better.”

1 Corinthians 2:13 “which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.”

Weaknesses of the NASB There are times when a Greek word or phrase may have more than one meaning. The word "sarx" is consistently translated "flesh" in the NASB. In Romans 3:20 and 4:1 it is used to refer to the physical body.

Weaknesses of the NASB There are times when a Greek word or phrase may have more than one meaning. The word "sarx" is consistently translated "flesh" in the NASB. In Romans 8:4, however, he uses it to denote the seat of one's sinful passions

Weaknesses of the NASB There are other occasions where the NASB will render two different Greek words with just one English word, thus creating confusion. The word "abolish" appears in both Matthew 5:17 and Ephesians 2:15.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

Ephesians 2:15 “by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace,”

Weaknesses of the NASB “Abolish" The Greek word kataluo can mean “abolish”, it is not the best translation in this instance. In Ephesians 2:15, Paul is arguing that Christ did “abolish” (katargeo) the law of commandments

Weaknesses of the NASB “Abolish" Remember words can hold different meanings in different contexts. Jesus’ mission was not to violently overthrow the Mosaic regime; rather He was to fulfill it.

Weaknesses of the NASB “Abolish” With it being two different Greek words, this distinction is lost on the reader by using only one English word. This lack of distinction has also led some to suggest that these two passages actually contradict one another, when in fact they do not.

Weaknesses of the NASB There are occasions where the NASB renders two different Greek words with just one English word. The NASB fails to make a distinction in John 21:15-17 between the words "agapao" and "phileo,".

John 21:15-17 “So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love [a] Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love [p] You." He said to him, "Tend My lambs." [16] He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love [a] Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love [p] You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." …”

John 21:15-17 “…[17] He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love [p] Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love [p] Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love [p] You." Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep.”

Weaknesses of the NASB The NASB misses the point of Galatians 3:26. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” “You are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus.”

1 Timothy 5:8 “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Jude 3 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

Galatians 3:26 ASV “For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus.” NASB “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Weaknesses of the NASB The NASB is not consistent in its use of "KJV pronouns" versus those of 20th century America. "Thou," "Thine," "Thee," & "Thy" are retained in the Psalms, in prayers, or when someone is addressing Deity.

Weaknesses of the NASB Some have criticized the NASB for its elaborate system of quotation marks Isaiah 36:10

Isaiah 36:10 “"Have I now come up without the Lord's approval against this land to destroy it? The Lord said to me, 'Go up against this land and destroy it.' " ' " ” 2 Kings 19:7; 2 Chronicles 34:28; Haggai 1:2 all have three sets of quotation marks at the end.